


Not My Type (remix)

by thetitanwar



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Coming Out, Fixing Canon, Gen, Post-Giant War, gay rights i guess, rick did everyone so dirty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:47:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28768059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thetitanwar/pseuds/thetitanwar
Summary: i hate the scene where nico came out to percy so im fixing it <3
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	Not My Type (remix)

**Author's Note:**

> I have always hated the original scene with a passion so I wanted to rewrite it without it having destroyed everyone's character development. like what was that. 'not my type' exCUSE ME???? cant believe the author couldnt even stick to canon character traits

The celebration carried on at the bonfire, another war won against a world-ending threat. It was exhausting, for the teenagers who barely went a year between massacres, barely healing from the bloodshed of the last war. The cheer was tinged with relief, and washed in fatigue. The victory was taxing, even more so for the two Greek demigods who held back from the celebration. The rest of the group was no more than fifty feet away, but the distance felt like a mile. Instead, the son of Poseidon stood beside the son of Hades, and the two looked out upon the lake.

“We did it,” Nico  said , letting the corner of his mouth tug into a tired smile. 

“Couldn’t’ve without you,” Percy  answered , reaching over and clapping him on the shoulder.

Percy’s hand  was warm, and it almost  took Nico back to a moment when he was years younger. He  exhaled at the realization that the contact  did not make him blush. Truthfully, he was not even flustered. The words Percy said to him settled in his ribs and made him feel appreciated. It was the first time in a long time that he felt that way.

Percy took his hand away, tucking it into his pocket. He looked upon the younger boy, seeing Nico’s dark undereye circles, his tired smile leaving, and  the two staying in silent recognition of the pressure the kid was under. Without looking back, Nico understood that he meant what he said. Simple words, but they meant a lot, even if they  were coming from a complicated situation.

“Before I lose my nerve,” Nico  said , “I gotta tell you something.”

There  was a look on his face; if it were a movie, with the sun leaving a golden halo around his hair like it was just then, he would have just taken a puff of a cigarette and blown the smoke to the side. Except, it  wasn’t a movie, of course it  wasn’t .  He was just a tired boy beside Percy, trying to seem like he  was held together better than he  was .

Nico was sure Percy could see the nervous tremble of his hands, but his creased brow said he was visibly confused. Their conversations never went like this. Over the last few years, Percy was lucky to get a few words in their exchanges without the replies dripping in resentment. Even though Nico knew it stung, he couldn’t help but hold onto that grudge. Percy promised to protect Bianca, to do his best, but she died anyway. It seemed like he would never be forgiven, and Percy seemed to slowly come to terms with it. As much as Nico hated it, the grudge was what he needed to keep himself from slipping down a dark path. He was sure he never would have found Hazel, or done anything to help in the Titan War had he not been led by rage and pain. Yet, it was beyond time to change that. It already had, just a bit, with the connection to Hazel. He had to fix the years of cutting Percy off at the knees. Now, Nico had to tell him something. 

“I used to have a crush on you, a few years ago,” Nico didn’t look at Percy, “I’m...” 

His words trailed off, the empty air carrying the shape of the words he didn’t quite know how to say. Nico had come to terms with his sexuality, with the fact he was most certainly gay, but hadn’t said it aloud to  anyone except Hazel. 

“Oh,” Percy  paused , blinking, “I didn’t know.”

“You’re kind of oblivious, in that way,” Nico huffed a laugh.

Percy nodded slowly, brow relaxing, as he thought about what Nico said. Maybe it made a difference in how strongly Nico had reacted to him in the past. He hoped that it explained things to Percy. If he could see that his crush made his pain feel more personal, hopefully Percy would see that Nico was attempting to make amends. Part of him wished that Percy had already known. Then again, he had been just a kid as well. Those things had tended to slip past him. The retrospection didn’t matter in the moment, however. The silence was growing too long, and the window to respond was getting smaller. He needed Percy to say something supportive, but not patronizing.

“Thank you, for telling me,” Percy said, “I know that’s not an easy thing to come out with. Thanks for trusting me.”

Nico’s heart relaxed and went back to beating normally. He sighed, letting his shoulders drop, and his tired smile return. The reply he got was more than he expected, but after all he didn’t expect anything. Maybe he expected some confusion, or an awkward air between them. Yet, this felt warm, and it was not the summer air. Percy was right, it was not easy to say. Nico had been practicing this in the mirror for weeks, but the courage never came. Maybe it was the high of winning a war, but he needed to have told him right then, or he would have burst. He sat in the feeling of acceptance for a moment, before speaking again.

“Don’t worry though, it won’t be weird,” Nico said, “I got over it a while ago. I knew I never had a shot.”

Nico looked over at Percy, taking in the slight smile. Percy’s shoulders barely raised as he lightly laughed.

“I can’t imagine it was very hard to stop liking me,” Percy replied. 

Percy laughed again, and Nico joined him.

“Shut up.”

They were too busy lightly laughing, watching the sun lower in the sky. Maybe things could be alright between them.

“Do you think you’ll stay at Camp?” Percy asked, looking over.

Percy watched Nico’s brow furrow. It was a bit of a rough subject, but  Nico wanted to know if he had the option to build a better friendship.

Nico’s lips pursed into a hard line. Camp had never felt like home, and the rest of the demigods seemed to have a talent for making his loneliness even more crushing. Now though, they were almost excited to see him. Perhaps, to him, it was time to try and give Camp Half-Blood a second chance. Maybe Camp could give him another chance, too. 

“Thinking about it. Not sure,” Nico answered, “But you should join everyone. They’ll be glad to see you.”

“If you come with,” Percy said.

Nico looked back at Percy, seeing how serious his eyes were. It wasn’t an empty gesture. Percy was telling him that he belonged in the celebration, that he belonged there. For a second, Nico believed him, and he wanted Percy to be right. 

“Alright.”

The two turned, and Percy led Nico to the mass of campers, ramping the two up into the cheers of the rest of the demigods. For the first time in what felt like forever, Nico felt like he was wanted there. Annabeth smiled at him, pulling him into the crushing crowd, and his ears rung with the excited yells of the rest of Camp Half-Blood.

Leo grabbed him by the shoulders, tugging him into a hug that was more bounce than embrace. He was yelling something in his ear; a mix of excited Spanish and excited English, but he was talking so fast that Nico was lucky if he understood a word. Some of the other Athena kids smiled his way. 

He searched for Percy, as the discomfort of being pulled into the crowd rose. Sure, being included was good, but it felt like too much at once. Nico’s eyes finally found Percy, who was beaming at him, Annabeth tucked under his arm. Percy threw a thumbs-up Nico’s way, and Nico felt his cheeks heat up. He was still uncomfortable, but he felt like at least one person had his back in the crowd. 

It was overwhelming, but Nico thought he could get used to being included. Camp Half-Blood was giving him another chance, and he was going to take it.


End file.
